Improper disposal of electronics products that contain toxic materials can cause harmful environmental impacts. Computer monitors and older television picture tubes can contain up to four pounds of lead. Other toxic materials found in electronics products include chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants. Reuse or recycling of electronics can lead to safe management of these hazardous materials when a product reaches the end of its useful life.

Donating electronic items for reuse provides positive environmental and societal benefits. Reuse and refurbishing electronics provides environmental benefits by preventing waste, extending useful life and keeping products from entering the waste stream until a later time. Society benefits from donation because schools, nonprofit organizations, and lower-income families are able to reap the benefits of computers and other electronics that they otherwise could not afford.

Waste reduction can also be achieved by purchasing greener products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a list of attributes that describe environmentally preferable electronics products:

• Contain fewer toxic constituents.
• Use recycled materials in the new product.
• Are energy efficient (e.g., showing the Energy Star label).
• Are designed for easy upgrading or disassembly.
• Use minimal packaging.
• Offer leasing or takeback options.
• Have been recognized by independent certification groups (such as TCO or Blue Angel) as environmentally preferable. [3]

If reuse is not an option and a product is no longer functional, recycling can help to alleviate negative environmental impacts of electronics waste. Recycling electronics can help to reduce energy use and pollution produced from the manufacture of new products. Recycling also aids in the preservation of valuable and limited virgin resources.

More than 100 million pounds of materials from electronics are collected annually by recyclers. County recycling drop-off centers, electronics recycling companies, some electronics retailers and electronics manufacturers accept electronics for recycling. The Electronic Industries Alliance provides a resource to find local and national electronics reuse and recycling programs. In addition, some original equipment manufacturers (OEM), including Apple Computer Corp., Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. have initiated computer recycling programs.

The process of recycling e-waste involves dismantling products into metals, plastics and circuit boards for component recovery. Material is fed into a hopper then travels up a conveyor and is dropped into a mechanical separator, which is followed by a number of screening and granulating machines. The entire recycling machinery is enclosed and employs a dust collection system. [4]

Standards related to electronics recycling include regulatory requirements for generators of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and circuit boards. Cathode ray tubes, the glass video display component found in television and computer monitors, are considered hazardous when discarded because of the lead found in CRTs. When electronics containing CRTs are left in landfills, lead can leak out into the ecosystem. Various state regulations deal with the management of CRT. Massachusetts and Florida have implemented regulatory streamlining, electronics recycling infrastructure development, time-limited state funding to encourage recycling. California regulates CRTs hazardous material and bans their disposal in landfills. The EPA-proposed federal rule concerning cathode ray tubes streamlines management requirements for recycling used CRTs and glass removed from CRTs in order to encourage reuse and recycling.

Used computer monitors and televisions disposed of by households or resold/donated are not considered hazardous waste and are not regulated under federal requirements. Businesses and other entities that generate less than 100 kilograms (roughly 220 pounds) per month of hazardous waste, including CRTs, receive a small quantities exemption and are not regulated by federal requirements. Facilities that generate large quantities of hazardous waste (over 100 kilograms per month) are subject to federal regulations. CRTs must be manifested and sent as hazardous waste to permitted landfills. CRTs sent for recycling are also regulated by federal law.

The EPA has also proposed a final rule which adds mercury-containing equipment to the federal list of universal waste to encourage better management of these materials and compliance with hazardous waste requirements. The Universal Waste Rule exempts certain wastes which contain hazardous materials, such as batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, such as thermostats and lamps containing fluorescent bulbs, from having to meet all requirements of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The intent of the rule is to lower administrative and regulatory burdens to encourage recycling and proper disposal of hazardous waste materials.

There are various state and international ideas regarding who is responsible for the cost of recycling electronics. In Washington, a state law was recently passed which requires manufacturers, as opposed to consumers or government, to pay for the collection, transportation, and recycling of computers, monitors, and TVs from consumers, small businesses, schools, small government entities, and charities. [5] The European Union has enacted legislation, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, placing the burden of recovery and recycling costs on manufacturers. California has enacted Advanced Recovery Fee legislation that holds consumers responsible for recycling costs by adding a charge at time of purchase of a new television or computer monitor to fund a statewide recycling program.

EPEAT, a project of the Green Electronics Council, is a tool designed to help large volume institutional purchasers evaluate, compare and choose monitors, desktop and notebook computers based on environmental attributes. EPEAT also provides manufacturers with performance criteria for environmentally responsible design of products. EPEAT is the implementation of IEEE Standard 1680, which “defines environmental performance standards for personal computer products, including desktop computers, notebook computers, and computer monitors that are marketed to institutions, and includes key concepts and implementation procedures relating to reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end of life, life cycle extension, energy conservation, end of life management, corporate performance and packaging.” [6]

The 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment held in May of 2006 provided a forum for professionals involved from academia, industry and public policy areas to discuss electronics recycling and other topics related to electronics and the environment. The conference focused on life cycle assessment, nanotechnology, ethical issues, energy generation and supply, policy and business, design for energy efficiency, economic models, green manufacturing, material recovery, design for the environment, small tech manufacturing, industrial ecology, final disposal, international outlook, and material challenges.

References

[1] “EU Ban Opens E-Waste Market.” Red Herring, July 2, 2006.
[2] "e-Cycling." Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/index.htm
[3] "How to reduce electronics waste." Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/basic.htm
[4 "Electronic waste." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-waste
[5] “Who Pays for E-Waste?” IEEE Spectrum, July 2006.
[6] IEEE Standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products, Including Laptop, Personal Computers, Desktop Personal Computers, and Personal Computer Monitors. IEEE Std 1680™-2006.